Hemp is a generic name for all plants in the Cannabis genus, although the term is often only used for varieties of Cannabis grown for industrial (non-drug) use. Industrial hemp has many uses, including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food, and fuel. It is known as one of the fastest growing biomasses and one of the first crops to be cultivated. Here are 15 interesting facts about the non-recreational version of “weed.”
1. All school textbooks were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s. (Jack Frazier. Hemp Paper Reconsidered. 1974.)
2. In the United States, it was legal to pay taxes with hemp from 1631 until the early 19th century. (Los Angeles Times. August 12, 1981.)
3. In the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was against the law to refuse to grow hemp! In Virginia, you could go to prison between 1763 and 1769 if you refused to grow hemp (GM Herdon. Hemp in Colonial Virginia).
4. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other founding fathers of the United States grew hemp. (Washington and Jefferson's diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France, and from there to America.)
5. Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in the United States, and it used hemp. The War of 1812 was also fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow's exports to England. (Jack Herer. Emperor Wears No Clothes.)
6. For thousands of years, 90% of ships’ sails and ropes were made of hemp. The word “canvas” was “canevas” in Middle English, which comes from the Latin word “cannabis.” (Webster's New World Dictionary.)
7. 80% of textiles, fabrics, clothing, linens, wall hangings, etc. were made from hemp before the 1820s, when the cotton gin was introduced.
8. The first Bibles, maps, the 1777 flag, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution were made of hemp. (U.S. Government Archives.)
9. Many states had their first crop of hemp. 1850 was Kentucky's peak year, with 40,000 tons. Hemp was the most profitable crop in the United States until the 20th century. (State Archives.)
10. The oldest recorded information about hemp dates back 5,000 years from China, although the use of hemp may have begun in ancient Egypt.
11. Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Gainsborough, and most early paintings on canvas were painted primarily on hemp cloth.
12. In 1916, the U.S. government predicted that by the 1940s, all paper would be made from hemp and no more trees would need to be cut down. Government studies indicated that 1 acre of hemp was equivalent to 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were being prepared. (U.S. Department of Agriculture Archives.)
13. Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil until 1937. 58,000 tons of hemp seeds were used in paint products in the United States in 1935. (Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before the U.S. Congress against the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.)
14. Henry Ford's first Model T was built to run on hemp gasoline and used hemp as a material for the car! Ford was photographed in the hemp fields of his vast farm. The car, which "grew from the soil," had hemp plastic panels that could withstand impacts 10 times stronger than steel. (Popular Mechanics, 1941.)
15. In 1938, hemp was called the “Billion-Dollar Crop.” At that time, the potential commercial value of the crop exceeded $1 billion for the first time. (Popular Mechanics, February 1938.)
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